I am tentatively thinking about selling one of my horses in the Autumn.
I’ve got a sharer who adores her and is interested but we are a bit stuck on a price. I don’t want to give her away for pennies.
The ins and outs are
16.2/3hh 5yo TB mare, beautiful bay ex racehorse, looks the part and made good money at the sales as a yearling. Never made the grade in training. I think she’s stunning but wouldn’t be to the taste of someone who didn’t like TBs /finer horses.
A nice mover - not super flashy but very correct. Nicely balanced. Can be a touch green in canter - just leans and gets a bit flat - typical TB, but could go and do an intro test tomorrow, and wouldn’t completely disgrace herself in a prelim.
Went to a few in hand shows as a 2 and 3 YO and did well against some smart warmblood/sport horse youngstock including placing at county level. Didn’t compete as a 4yo for obvious reasons!
On the ground she’s lovely, a completely non horsey partner/teenager could bring her in/turn her out etc. Very polite, nearly managed to teach her to pick her feet up for you. Can be clipped loose in her box, stands like a rock. Fine with the farrier but can fidget, isn’t nasty we distract her with snacks. Loads herself and travels perfectly with or without company although has never been in a trailer. Does need daily turnout, wouldn’t cope at all at a yard where they didn’t have winter turnout etc, usually goes out for a minimum of 6 hours a day. Gets stressy and colicy without this.
Ridden; To mount 90% of the time she’s good, sometimes she forgets she’s not in racing anymore and figets at the block.
Very sweet in the school - if not a touch green. Really enjoys her work and tries hard for you. If she’s very fresh she can be a bit spooky/tense, but this is nothing beyond the ability of a well balanced rider, won’t do anything nasty and quickly gets over it, is more the sort if she’s unsure to grind to a halt than run off. Nicely off the leg but not sharp and in a loose ring snaffle at all times. She is a big TB so does need someone who can keep a big horse together. Slightly typical TB in that (we’re on a working farm) she’ll ignore the farm machiney, scrapping dogs, noisy livestock, and our school is next to a road and she ignores even the biggest of lorries, but might have the odd spook at her own farts.
To give you an idea of her general character someone we were in the school with recently got decked by their horse who proceeded to run laps and refuse to be caught and she stood like a police horse until that was sorted. Has been to a local yards indoor a few times and been perfect even on a windy day when it was rattling.
Jumping is a work in progress but showing promise. She won’t be the next Big Star, but is sweet and sensible to and away from a fence, can get a bit forward but doesn’t get strong or silly. Very clever if she gets to it wrong, despite being green she’ll help you out.
Hacking, we’ve mostly done in company as we have a lot of farm traffic. However she’s been fine with everything she’s met, even been ok with noisy tarpaulin (after a quick gawp), and a field of horses hooning around next to her. Can be a bit unsure of cyclists coming from behind, doesn’t do anything nasty just jumps, and can need a bit of reassurance. Has hacked alone a handful of times and been fine just needed riding forward.
All in all a nice horse who I think will make a cracking allrounder, not at all nasty, but needs a decent rider to help with her education, and would probably be a bit too spooky and forward for someone nervous. However would be the perfect first ex racehorse for someone wanting to dip their toe in!
Sorry for the essay… just curious as to what she would be worth, I can’t make sense of this current market! She’s not going to make the p2p/team chase horse i was hoping she would but also don’t want to give her away for pennies as I do like her!